High School Resources

Registration for Spring 2026 is Open

The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office is proud to present the Illinois Personal Finance Challenge (IPFC). The IPFC is a fun and motivating team competition that provides students with the opportunity to get financially savvy and demonstrate their money management skills. 

High school teams in Illinois can showcase their expertise in earning income, spending, saving, managing credit, investing, and managing risk through online exams offered during fall and spring testing windows. All teachers will be able to access their students’ scores.

One team of 3-4 high school students with one teacher will qualify to represent Illinois at the National Personal Finance Challenge by winning the Illinois State Finals. 

Registration is FREE and practice tests and resources are available online for all teams. Checkout the teacher toolkit with lessons and activities in the six personal finance subjects.

Illinois State Finals

We are excited to host an in-person event for the Illinois State Finals and award Bright Start 529 college savings scholarships to the first place and second place teams. Each winning team member will receive: 

  • 1st Place: $1,500 scholarship
  • 2nd Place: $1,000 scholarship

The in-person event will be hosted at our historic Marine Bank building in Springfield on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. The Illinois State Finals competition will consist of a real-world case study round and a quiz bowl round.

How It Works

  1. Teacher Registration – High school teachers must register at least one team of 3-4 students. There is no limit to how many teams a teacher can have and no limit to how many teachers can participate from the same school. Online teacher registration for the spring testing window is open January 12 – March 16, 2026. Returning teachers can use existing login credentials. 
     
  2.   Online Exam – High school students compete in the first round of competition online, with an open testing window from March 2 – March 20, 2026.
     
  3.   Illinois State Finals – Top teams from fall and spring will compete at the Illinois State Finals. The in-person event will be hosted in Springfield, IL on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. 
     
  4. National Finals – The winning team from Illinois State Finals advances to National Finals at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, GA on May 31 and June 1, 2026. 

National Finals offers cash prizes to nationally ranking teams. Each winning team member will receive:

  • 1st Place: $2,000
  • 2nd Place: $1,000
  • 3rd Place: $500 
  • 4th Place: $250

If you have any questions, contact Maggie Owen at mowen@illinoistreasurer.gov.

Learn More about Illinois Personal Finance Challenge

The Stock Market Game

This unique game is used by thousands of students nationwide each year.  Students participate in teams to research and evaluate stocks, bonds, and mutual funds to make informed, economic decisions.  Competitions are held each Fall and Spring.  There are also connections to Common Core with the extension program, InvestWrite.  For Stock Market Game participants, InvestWrite is a writing competition on investment related topics.  It is entirely FREE for a class to participate.  In addition, there are many resources online, and a dedicated staffer to help answer all of your questions.  Explore below to learn more:

Additional Resources

Explore the links below to find lesson plans, assessments, and more.

Standards

Standards implemented in the 2017-2018 school year included requirements for financial literacy and inquiry skills. Inquiry skills equip students with the skills necessary for college, career, and civic life. You can read the standards at the links below.